Other Blog Posts

Can I share a secret? Don’t tell my kids. On my list of places I like to eat breakfast, “my bed” ranks near the bottom of the list, right above “underwater.” Who wants to eat surrounded by pillows and blankets, with your legs straight in front of you, a tray barely balanced on your lap? Who wants to clean up the inevitable crumbs and spills? More importantly, who decided that this should be the iconic way to show Mom you love her? Read more >

My first job at age 10 was picking rocks at a strawberry patch in northern Minnesota. If you’re not familiar with rock picking it’s HARD. Basically, you pick up rocks and move them from the strawberry patch to an isolated corner of the field so that when it’s time to harvest the ripe strawberries, the rocks don’t get in the way. Read more >

Family traditions are important. They connect family members to each other and one generation to the next, like a strong but invisible glue. They give kids of a sense of belonging as they experience the “we” and “us” of being on the family team. In the midst of hectic schedules, traditions provide comfort that comes from predictable patterns and routines. But not all traditions are worth keeping! Just because your mom always made you drink warm ginger ale when you had a stomachache, does not mean you have to do the same thing with your kids. My kids enjoy many of the traditional recipes I grew up with as a child, but I am saying right here, right now – the consumption of organ meat is dying with me. My kids don’t even know what a chicken gizzard is. Read more >>

Positive family traditions are different than mere good memories; they speak of caring enough to take time away from the business of daily life, acting in common purpose, and honoring our shared roots. In our rapid-paced modern world, taking time away is more difficult than ever, so building those traditions may be more important than they have ever been. Click on the read more link to read about one of our blogger, Marie Williams' favorite family traditions. Read more >

Traditions are the “glue” of family togetherness and the fodder for creating fond memories and family identity. They can be big things or little things, done within any family year to year (or shared from generation to generation). They can take a week or 5 minutes. Traditions are a valuable ally in creating a sense of family closeness Read more >

It’s graduation season, and for many parents, this time of year is a clear and present reminder of a milestone that can be the cause of much financial stress—paying for college. Whether you are starting early or late in the college savings game, there are a number of things you can to do to prepare: Learn more >

We know from research on Developmental Assets that young people benefit from adults in their lives—parents and otherwise—who know where they are, where their going, when they’ll be back, and who they are with. They also do better when their peers and the adults around them are positive influences. Here are 7 tips for keeping tabs on your teen. Read more >>

We all like to have fun, but did you know there is scientific research proving the power of play? There is truth to the Life is Good Foundation’s slogan, “Life can hurt, play can heal”. Here are some of the many ways science says that play leads to healing in children and youth. Read more >

You know the families with spoiled kids who are always throwing money at leisure without concern? And the families who control their children’s spending down to the penny? When it comes to money, it’s best to avoid both of those extremes. But there is a happy medium! It’s all about finding the right opportunities to talk about money. Here are some easy do-at-home or on-the-go tips for helping tweens understand money management. Read more >

In my work as a therapist I am often called on to give parenting advice or feedback. Sometimes, it seems to me that parents are searching for the perfect technique, the ideal response, “the manual” with all the answers. While I suppose most of us know that there’s no such thing, we can feel kind of lost in the confusion of possible responses to any given challenge with our kids. Read more >